The first interrogation of the United Civil Party leader Anatol Lyabedzka scheduled for March 23 was postponed because of absence of the attorney. Anatol Lyabedzka is suspected of slandering the president during the interview to Zerkalo program on Russian TV channel “Rossia”. The politician criticized the Belarusian leader for short-sighted economical policy, absence of control over shady budget, hushing the truth about abducted oppositionists. The interrogation of Lyabedzka is to take place on March 26, on Friday. The menace of arrest during the investigation is still in force, Radio Svaboda infroms.

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"The situation with democracy and human rights in Belarus remains quite a serious problem for Europe and does not facilitate the promotion of stability in the region." This conclusion was made by the participants in the international conference "Towards a Wider Europe: the New Agenda" held in Bratislava (Slovakia) on 18-19 March.

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Since May 1 this year subscription and delivery of periodical press would be considered illegal if done by editorial offices that want to register subscription for their newspaper and does not have a corresponding license. To receive such a license one should manage to submit documents before April 1, the Belarusian Association of Journalists press service informs.

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The order to subscribe as individuals or as enterprises to state Vitsebsk periodical press was received by small entrepreneurs of Glubokaye region of Vitsebsk Oblast. As the BelaPAN agency was informed by the Belarusian Association of Journalists, according to the order, every enterprise is to subscribe for at least 3 newspapers, and every employee – for one national and one local newspaper. The necessity of this is justified by instructions of the head of state, given at an ideology work seminar for national and local authorities in March last year.

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The deputy of the “Chamber of representatives” of Belarus Uladzimir Parfyanovich is set to find out in the Constitutional Court if the president has the right to issue directives. He told about his aspiration on March 22 at the session of the “chamber of representatives”. As said by Parfyanovich, he is going to find out if the president violated the constitution or not, by issuing the documents, which are not envisaged by the constitution.

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It is the Czech Republic`s task after its entry to the European Union not to allow a new iron curtain to emerge which would separate the EU countries from the remaining world, Senate chairman Petr Pithart said at a conference Belarus - Our Neighbour in the Senate today. The new position of Belarus after EU enlargement in May is the main topic of the conference. "We have been witnesses to the Iron Curtain and we do not even want to live on the opposite side of it now," Pithart said.

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The United States warned Belarus on Friday it might consider sanctions against the former Soviet republic if it failed to improve its record on human rights and media freedoms before a parliamentary election this year. Belarus, which will border an expanded European Union in May when neighbours Poland, Lithuania and Latvia join, has long been criticised by EU and U.S. officials for cracking down on opposition leaders and stifling free speech.

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The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF) and the Belarus Helsinki Committee (BHC) believe that criminal charges filed by the government against the Belarus Helsinki Committee are legally baseless and are an attempt to silence the organization, which is a leading source of independent, accurate analysis concerning compliance by the government with its international human rights commitments.

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On March 23 at 10 a.m. the first investigation of the leader of the United Civil Party of Belarus Anantol Lyabedzka is to take place. Criminal proceedings have been instituted against him on charges related to slander against A.Lukashenka, Article 367 part 2 of the Criminal Code of Belarus. “I go to the Prosecutor’s office with a lawyer, -- told Lyabedzka to the press service of the party. – Our tactics is as following: we are going to listen more than to talk. If the Prosecutor’s office is sure that there are enough grounds for taking the case to court, we are to produce our arguments and evidence. And now I would like to get acquainted with the materials of the case”.

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